The NFL draft, pushed back this year from late April to May 8-10, is finally coming into view.

The Texans are scheduled to kick it all off with the first of the draft’s 256 selections. (South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney? Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel? A trade?)

Beginning with the 29th overall choice, the Patriots are preparing to exercise eight picks over the three-day affair. (A tight end? A defensive lineman? A trade?)

Following No. 29, Bill Belichick’s team is in line to select 62nd and 93rd (in the draft’s second and third rounds) on the night of May 9 and 130th, 140th, 198th, 206th and 244th (in rounds four through seven) on May 10.

Given Belichick’s past – 52 draft-day trades in his 14 drafts with the Patriots – the biggest upset would be if the team were to stand pat.

So let the posturing begin – or continue, as the case may be.

“I’d say it’s a pretty big one,” Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio answered Tuesday when asked how much of a poker game element enters into the draft at this time of year. “There’s so much information that’s floated out there and the reality is nobody really knows other than their respective teams.

“There’s a lot of information that’s out there. I think you just have to be careful of how much stock you actually put into it. You try to make your best guess of what you anticipate a team may or may not do, but I’d say there’s probably a lot of noise that’s out there and nobody really knows until the actual draft starts and the team picks. And I think that’s the truth.”

Speaking at his annual predraft press conference at Gillette Stadium, Caserio labeled this year’s draft “good” and said the influx of players who have been granted special eligibility has had an impact upon it.

“Obviously, there’s a proliferation of underclassmen,” Caserio said. “I want to say the number’s close to 100 (98), so they factor in like they do every year. It’s certainly added a degree of depth to the draft.”

Caserio was also quick to add that with their roster currently at 65 – 25 under the league limit of 90 they’re allowed to bring to training camp – the Patriots will continue to add to their roster after the draft.

“This won’t stop the team-building process,” he said. “There will be other opportunities for us to do it.”

“There are certain positions, like there are every year, of strength,” Caserio said. “The receiver position is a deep group. There’s a deep group of running backs. I’d say there’s a deep group of defensive linemen that are different types of players.

“I think there’s a lot of good football players that may not get drafted, which is the case every year because just from a sheer numbers standpoint.

“Really there’s no, I would say, exact science as relates to this,” Caserio admitted. “There’s a little bit of hit and miss” to the entire draft process, he said.

“You just try to find guys that fit your team and in the end just try to evaluate for the role that they’re going to have for your team,” he said. “Inevitably, some work out, some don’t work out, and you just have to go back and figure out why didn’t it work.’’

“Was it the player? Did we overvalue a certain aspect of his athleticism, of his actual ability, of his skill level? There’s a number of different metrics that you look at, and really it’s specific to the player.

“Ultimately, you’re trying to find players that fit your team. Not all players fit your team. Some fit better than others. So hopefully you do the best you can and try to identify those players and fit them into your system.”